The king has a problem. His twelve daughters wake up every morning with their slippers in rags and tatters. Where are they going? The palace is guarded to the hilt, and the shoemakers are exhausted. The king has promised his kingdom to anyone who can solve the mystery in three days and three nights. Prince after prince fails, then a dishevelled soldier arrives at the palace door. Will he succeed? Miss Clara's dazzling artwork takes the twelve princesses shimmering and waltzing across the pages of this classic fairy tale. Ages 8+ AUTHOR: Mary Hoffman lives just outside Oxford, UK where she writes in a room with big French windows looking out onto her garden. Her first book was published in 1975 and since then, she has written over ninety books for children and teenagers, including the picture book Amazing Grace, the Stravaganza series of fantasy novels and a number of historical novels, including THE FALCONER'S KNOT and TROUBADOUR. THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES is one of her favourite fairytales. This is her first project with Barefoot Books. Miss Clara is a French artist with a gift for creating delicate and intricate illustrations. First, she creates miniature maquettes of princesses, princes, fairies, hobgoblins and other magical creatures, then she makes detailed scenes in which to photograph them. She finishes these images digitally to create the evocative and ethereal atmosphere that characterises her work. Miss Clara has also illustrated THE SNOW QUEEN.
There are 62 pages in this book.
This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+).
This book was published in 2019 by Barefoot Books Ltd .
Mary Hoffman has written more than 70 books. Her previous titles for Dorling Kindersley include Henry's Baby and A First Bible Story Book.
This book contains the following story:
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
The king bans his twelve beautiful daughters from dancing, yet every night their shoes are worn through. The king promises that the man who can solve the mystery will marry one of his daughters - and rule the kingdom. But the princesses are as clever as they are beautiful and do not want to be constrained, and whilst many princes have tried to solve the mystery, all have failed. A poor soldier, seeking the reward, borrows an enchanted cloak from an old woman and is able to follow the princesses as they escape in the night to a castle where they dance with their twelve suitors. Having revealed his discovery to the king he chooses the eldest princess for his bride and becomes the king’s heir.
